in Twelh Night, or What You Will, Shakespeare brings us in on the secret of gender subversion – only Viola and the audience know that she is actually a woman. Viola not only dresses as a man, but she acts and, temporarily, identifies as one.
However, (almost) nobody else knows. Just Viola and us.
This is called dramatic irony: we as the audience see fully what is going on, even though most of the characters do not.
The modern cinematic retelling, She’s the Man, explores these issues of gender bending, identity, and sexuality, and it also includes an added dynamic: challenging what it means for young men and women to be treated equally or unequally by society.
Aer reading (or watching) Twelh Night and She’s the Man, reflect on what Viola’s gender bending reveals about societal expectations of gender.
In your essay, respond to the following:
1. What does the confusion over or inability to clearly define Viola’s gender reveal about this struggle to define gender?
2. How do Viola’s relationships and actions, as well as the other character’s (aka society’s) reactions contribute to our understanding of gender definitions?
3. HowdoesShakespeare’suseofdramaticironyaffectour understanding as the audience of the play’s commentary on gender?
As with our other essays, focus your analysis by choosing specific quotes to analyze in depth in each body paragraph. This will help to ground your analysis in the text and support your ideas with evidence.
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Fall 2023 – LIT 233
Requirements:
Thesis: This essay should include a clear, concise argument expressed in a thesis statement and supported using evidence directly from the novel in the form of quotations. Identify quotes, analyze them, and draw connections between them to come to a conclusion of meaning.
Use literary terminology when possible and appropriate.
Does not depend on outside research: While you may need to do some research, you will not depend on other people’s research. Research should be limited to understanding literary and conceptual elements of the story, then, using this information, YOU determine what it means. This is your opportunity to take your unconnected thoughts and put them together to form an argument about meaning. How and what do all these pieces – characters, syntax, diction, metaphor, etc. – add up to? What does the story say?
Quotes & Close Reading: The essay should incorporate at least three quotations: at least one from the play and one from the film. Discussion should center around these quotations and incorporate some close reading (analysis) of the quotations.
Remember – Avoid summarizing. Find a passage, analyze specific quotes, and interpret. Assume your reader is intelligent and familiar with the story.
Writing Guidelines:
● 2-3 pages in length – approximately 500-750 words
● Include header with:
○ Name
○ Professor Savage
○ Short Essay #__ (fill in the blank)
○ Course # and section
○ Due Date of Essay
■ Use format: Date Month Year → 31 January 2023 ● Write out the month fully
Spring 2024 – LIT 233
● Formatting:
○ Typed, 12 point font, Times New Roman or Arial, double-spaced
● Include a title for your essay:
○ Centered aer header at the top of the page
○ Title should clearly indicate the text and its author, while also
creatively identifying the subject matter being analyzed
○ Example:
Every Rose Has Its Thorns:
Symbolism in Carter’s “The Courtship of Mr. Lyon”
● Use MLA style and formatting
● Include a Works Cited
○ Separate page – not part of page count or word count
○ MLA style citations and formatting
● Submit on Moodle as either Microso Word (.doc/.docx) or Apple
Pages file (.pages)
Writing Tips:
● Keep the writing short and to the point.
● Use the academic voice (3rd person)
○ Do not use the first or second person voice
● Use standard grammar conventions & complete sentences
● Focus on Analysis – NOT SUMMARY
○ Do not spend time explaining plot (summarizing)
● Look for literary devices and use literary terminology
● Aim for depth rather than scope – keep the focus tight on one idea
instead of trying to discuss several.
● Quotations
○ Use quotations from whatever text we are looking at – this is an essential part of writing about literature
○ Include citations – usually page numbers – in parentheses
○ Include at least 2-3 quotations per assignment unless otherwise
stated in the prompt
